Rama Krishna Sangem
In spite of unrelenting stance of US president Donald Trump against India, the Narendra Modi led government in New Delhi is still not ready to counter-attack American administration. A main reason for this restrained response of India to the White House in the last few months is the need to keep in mind the interests of Indian diaspora in America. An estimated 33 lakh Indian Americans are agitated over the strained ties between the US and India of late.
They are concerned over the possible fallout of this strained ties on them in the US. Some leading Indian Americans who spoke to Excel India in the last two days said that the recent US plans to limit Visa stay of foreign students in the country to four years is a direct consequence of the present state of easy relationship between American and India. Of course, China is another affected by this Visa time limit move, but most of its students are not that much interested in continuing in America.
“We are watching and following every news on the US and India relations. We regularly follow what President Trump says on his Truth Social every morning, evening,” said a lawyer from Hyderabad now living in New Jersey. Indians in America are sending pleas to the foreign affairs ministry in New Delhi seeking some restraint on the part of India so that their careers and stay in the US would not be affected. They are justified in their assessment of the situation too.
Piyush Goyal hopeful of a deal
This is the mood even in the Modi government. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on August 29, Friday said that India is still hopeful of a trade deal with the US. This optimism is expressed officially in government quarters, though a visit of the US trade negotiators that supposed to take place from August 25 was cancelled last minute. India is painfully bearing the impact of 50 per cent tariffs imposed by Trump from August 27.
PM Modi is on a Japan and China tour now, but he is taking enough care to see that it doesn’t send any wrong signal to Washington DC. A few days ago, he just called for promoting Swadeshi, homemade, products and encouraging indigenous technologies and innovation, but said a single word against the US or Trump. Sources in the Government of India are of the view that there might not be any immediate thaw in the frozen ties between the US and India.
PM Modi, his ministers and officials are currently busy finding alternative markets for Indian exports hit by the higher US tariffs and doing enough to boost domestic markets to consume more of local products. They are not bothered about replying to each and every comment made by the White House aides. This job is now left to the nationalist media and pro-BJP analysts.
